Dec 18, 2013

Bitcoins are crashing, just a few weeks after reaching the biggest values in the currency’s history.

The price per Bitcoin has dropped under $500 (€363) for a while, a far cry from the $1,200 (€872) from a few weeks ago. The incredible price drop seems to indicate what economists across the world have been suspecting for months – that the Bitcoin was in a bubble. The Bitcoin bubble, like many others before it, only lasted for a few weeks and there are plenty of reasons explaining the burst and why the cryptocurrency is back to the value it had about two months ago.

The rapid rise in price put the currency on the to-do list of numerous governments who felt the need to take a formal stance towards Bitcoin. The Chinese officials said that Bitcoin wasn’t a real currency and other nations followed in their footsteps. The United States didn’t really come to a conclusion on the matter, although it seemed to be more open-minded about it. Either way, what the situation indicates is that Bitcoins are incredibly volatile and risky to invest in. Whether it will pay off in the end, it remains to be seen.

Bitcoins are slipping again (click for larger image)Image credits to bitcoincharts.com

Today, Chinese mobile phone maker Vivo has made official the first smartphone in the world to arrive on the market with a 2k screen, in the form of Vivo Xplay 3S.

The new handset made headlines quite a few times during the past few months, and it is now finally official with a 5.7-inch screen. As the vendor has announced, the new Vivo Xplay 3S can deliver a pixel density of 490ppi, proving to be one of the smartphones with the most advanced touchscreens out there. However, the 2k panel (also known as Quad HD or QHD), is not the only appealing feature that this Android-based device arrives on shelves with, as PhoneArena notes. Vivo made it official today with a Snapdragon 800 8974AB processor inside, with four Krait 400 cores clocked in at 2.3GHz, and with the Adreno 330 GPU attached. The specifications list of this phone also includes 3GB of RAM, which should allow the smartphone to provide users with great performance capabilities.

Moreover, it features 32 GB of internal memory, as well as a 3200 mAh battery. There is also LTE connectivity included inside the 2k phone, along with DTS sound technology, paired with stereo speakers. On the back, the new device has a 13-megapixel camera with f/1.8 aperture, capable of recording videos in full HD resolution (which does not come as a surprise, given the phone’s screen). The new Vivo Xplay 3S also sports a fingerprint sensor on the back, as well as the usual set of connectivity capabilities and sensors. On top of that, it is also incredibly slim, measuring only 4.5mm at its thinnest point.

What remains to be seen is when exactly the new mobile phone will become available for purchase, and whether users will be able to afford it, considering the high-end hardware specs it was packed with. Previously, VivoXplay 3S was rumored to arrive on the market priced at 4,498 Yuan ($740/€533) and 4,999 Yuan ($823/€599), depending on the internal memory.